SPORTING ITEMS.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume I, Issue 31, 28 February 1891, Page 5

SPORTING ITEMS.

Hailstone got cast in his box during the week, and therefore will be an unlikely starter at the Hunt Club meeting to-day. Jack Rae left for New Plymouth yesterday for the purpose of bringing his new purchase, Good Day, to Auckland. Baron de Hirsch has only nominated one horse in this year’s Champagne Stakes at Doncaster, but that is La Flcche, the 5,500 gns. sister to Memoir. Baron de Hirsch, who has recently bought the club house in Paris where they “pilled him, has given notice that the lease, which will terminate in 1892, will not be renewed. The Baron is a good hater. It is curious that Wheel of Fortune, who Fred Archer always said was the best filly he ever rode, has never thrown anything, With the exception of Oberon, who could gallop at all. Baron de Schickler has retained his lead in the list of winning owners in France, his horses having placed to his credit. This includes the Grand Prix de Pans of won by Fitz Roya last June. It is currently reported that both Melos and Cuirassier have broken down. E. Kelly for some time has had a great deal of trouble with the latter’s legs, which were never of, the best description. The privileges of the Dargaville Jockey Club including the totalisator, Will be sold by public auction at Dargaville, on Saturday, March 7th. Mr. A. M. Rust, of Pokeno, has been appointed by the Committee to act as handicapper. David Munn at the Egmont meeting purchased The Peer, by Puriri—a Peter Flat mare, for £lOO, before the Hurdles on the second day, with the condition that he should give more if he won. John Osborne, the veteran English jockey, won the Newton Cup on his father’s horse Pity the Blind forty-one years ago, and last year he rode Mr. Vyner’s Asperse to victory m the same race. , The totalisator business cannot long survive the crushing penalties now imposed in Sydney. Fines of and 10s. costs, or six months imprisonment, are now ladled out to all caught in the act.— Weekly. Press. Wade, who was for so long connected with the Middle Park Stud here, and who went over to Victoria under engagement to Mr. W. R. Wilson, is back in Christchurch. — Weekly Press. The report that Dan O’Brien is having a brick stable built at Caulfield (Vic.) is incorrect. The builder contemplates leasing them to Mr. O’Brien when they are finished. — Weekly Press. At the late Egmont meeting Jack Rae purchased Good Day, b m, 6yrs old, by Isaac Walton—Lottie. At the same time a patron of Macminamin’s stable bought Minnie, by Somnus—-Antelope. Special correspondents of the Southern papers often amuse us, but the special Auckland correspondent of the N.Z. Referee is the facile princeps of them all. His knowledge and experience in racing matters must be apparent only to himself. We take the following “phenomenal” par from last week’s Referee. In writing of Quadrant, he says : — I do not intend to go fully into his performances, but shall only mention what I take to be his best “ go.” In the Newmarket Handicap, run on New Year’s Day, 1800, Quadrant, Bst 31b—then a three-year-old—was first; Corunna, Bst lib, second; and Teksum, Bst nib, third: Raglan, Loch Ness, Gladstone, and Cartridge being behind them. The official time was taken as imin i6*sec from the fall of the flag and imin isfsec from post to post. At first glance the performance does not look an extraordinay one, but Quadrant was left at the post quite ten lengths behind Teksum and Corunna, who were first away. I had my watch on Quadrant, and he ran the six furlongs from post to post in imin which is phenomenally fast time. We would like to ask this writer how long it has taken him to learn to time horses or men, and what kind of a “clock” he uses. Also, if he ever saw a horse, with the exception of Quadrant, run three-quarters of a mile in one minute eleven and a half seconds. The same correspondent makes some other extraordinary statements, which we hope the public, for their own sake, do not put much faith in.

Asper has been scratched for the Hunt Club Steeplechase, and Capelia for the Flying Stakes.

J. Rae has sold Asper to a Victorian sportsman. He will be shipped to Sydney by the Te Anau next Tuesday.

The time for making nominations for the Dargaville Jockey Club has been extended to 8 p.m. this evening (Saturday 28th.)

By the latest information received it appears that the favourites have none the best.of it in the Newmarket Handicap run to-day. Radoo, Conceit, Matador, Gaudy, Grey Gown and other outsiders are coming under the notice of the bookmakers.

A reporter in a sporting paper furnished his readers with the information that the gelding Zepp won the “ Selling Trot ” in a canter at the Ballarat Miners’ Turf Club Meeting; but then they do allow all sorts of funny things in Australia, even though they have a stiperidary steward on the Club. — Press.

Mr. George Cutts left by the Tarawbrabn Thursday for Sydney in charge of the thdrougbred stock that' Mr. W. R. Wilson, of the St. Alban’s Stud Farm (Victoria), had purchased at Sylvia Park and elsewhere during his visit to New Zealand. They consisted of twenty-three animals, comprising eleven brood mares, ten foals, and two yearlings. The most valuable 1 , of the lot was Mersey, the dam of Carbine, with a colt foal at foot by Nordenfeldt, and served by him again. The Union Company, wiTh their usual promptness, had made special arrangements for shipping this valuable-cbri-signment of thoroughbred stock, which is about the best that has ever left New Zealand for Australia.

The old adage “That we must go from home to learn news ” is verified by the following par. taken from the Australasian'. — “ I 'leanr from Sydney that Cartridge, a mare -by Musket— Rosalie, which was privately purchased from the Sylvia Park Stud Company for 350 guineas by Mr. Beddington, an English sportsman, arrived safely from New Zealand on Sunday. It is Mr. Beddington’s intention to take'the mare, along with some other Colonial-bred racehorses, to England.” Cartridge was never in the possession of the Sylvia Park Company, but was bred by Mr. Kavanagh.

The Canterbury Times has a par on the way horses are timed in America, and states that there is a good deal of incredibility expressed in the Colonies on the American times, and how it is they are five or six per cent.; faster than English and Australian times. Our contemporary explains it one way, but does not go far enough into it. We have explained the reason more than once in our columns. The Americans time their horses from the time they pass the starting post. They are then in their full stride. This makes a great deal of difference. We were once at a race meeting in New York in company with one of the most celebrated timekeepers on the English Press. After comparing watches several times with a the official times he came to the conclusion j that the flying starts in vogue made a difference of ten seconds in a mile, and proportionally less the farther they went. -

The following is taken from the Australasian : “ Never was the horse trade so stagnant in Calcutta as it has been this year,” says the Indian Planters' Gazette, “and only those dealers who have sold the majority of their stock to the Government will be able to show a profit on their importation. Cavanagh sold the pick of his fine batch of W.P. Australians by auction, realising an average of only about 830 rupees, and this is about the best sale of the season. Mr. Macklin was forced to buy in most of his exceptionally fine lot, and only a few of Mr. Westmacott’s perfectly broken arid nice mannered shipment of New Zealand horses found purchasers at a low average. All the dealers are complaining bitterly. The truth is, the market is glutted here, while in Madras and Bombay horses are selling quickly and at remunerative prices. Weeks has not yet brought any of his thoroughbreds to the hammer, nor has he sold any privately ; they want time before they will be fit to show, but there are some very promising racehorses among the lot worth buying for next season.

The following is the result of the Oakleigh Handicap which was run last Saturday at Caulfield :— Mr. W. Sayer’s br f Wild Rose, 3yrs, by Newminster —Primrose, yst 51b, (Flood) 1 Mr. J. Patterson’s br f Epi, 3yrs, 7 st 61b, (Power) .. • • • • • • • • 2 Mr. A. Selman’s b g Radoo, 4yrs, 7 st izlb (Jamieson).. .. •• •• •• 3 The other starters were Russley (gst 71b), Clonard (Bst i 3 lb), Paddy (Bst 11 lb), Gladstone (3st lolb), Victor Hugo (Bst gib), Bothwell (Bst gib), Lord Hopetoun (Bst gib), Carrington (Bst 61b), Little Bob (Bst 61b), Elsie (Bst 61b), Investigator (Bst alb), Steeltrap (Bst 21b), Portland (Bst2lb), Ginger (Bst), Spokesman ( 7 st 121 b), Yarran (yst izlb), Wilga (7st lolb), Lady • Carbine (7s! lolb), Granite (7st 81b), La Rose (7st 81b), Tomboy (7st 61b), Lady Golightly (7St 61b), Elworthy (6st i2lb), Toastmaster (6st 121 b), Stromboli (6st ulb), Sadim (6st i2lb), Colleen Bawn (6st nib), Bandit (6st gib), Loiterer (6st 71b), Choice (6st Ruse (6st 71b). Wild Rose won easily by a length and a half, in imin 7sec, which must be doubted unless there was some reason for it. This race generally throws some light on the Newmarket Handicap, but this year it does not, as none of the favourites started. Wild ■ Rose puts up a penalty of 141 b, thus raising her weight to Bst 51b, which must put her out of it. Radoo, who was third, sometime ago was favourably reported upon by “ Augur for the Newmarket Handicap, which is half a fur- ' long further. He has two pounds less, therefore must be looked upon to have a show. The others not placed in the Oakleigh Handicap engaged, in the Flemington race are Clonard, who has two pounds less, Victor Hugo, 21b more, Portland the same weight, Ginger 31b less, Toastmaster the same weight, and Elworthy ilb less; so, with the exception of Radoo, it is not likely that the Newmarket winner will spring from any that started on Saturday.